Blog – Resources for Music Educationhttps://funmusicco.com
The Fun Music CompanyMon, 25 Sep 2017 11:55:43 +0000en-UShourly1How To Teach Musichttps://funmusicco.com/how-to-teach-music/
https://funmusicco.com/how-to-teach-music/#commentsTue, 01 Aug 2017 12:00:44 +0000https://funmusicco.com/?p=13538Read more...]]>Listening. Playing. Reading. Creating. For anyone about to teach music of any curricula, these words all pose many questions and unknowns looking more academic than practical making it all way too hard. For many teachers it all just sounds way too confusing, stopping them from even starting in the first place.

With National standardized government testing taking a leading focus in school time, music is still expected to be a curricula need, however it often doesn’t get the time it deserves to be done well. Recent media reports suggest that music is as a luxury, where only students who can afford to get lessons do so outside of school hours.

Like many other educators and as a music specialist myself, I’ve devoted much of my time teaching and writing materials for music over these past two decades. Sometimes these answers haven’t always been clear, so I decided to dig deeper. I found to learn the best strategies, I needed to find the best educators in the world and learn from them. Also, by talking to thousands of active music teachers daily and researching in detail as many major curricula based across the world, these findings led me to better understand some of the core underlying principles that shape our curricula and teaching today.

And that’s what my video blog is all about. It’s all about how to teach music in a relevant, inspiring way which feels natural and relevant to today’s kids without being too academic or “heavy” is why it shapes the core of our Fun Music Co philosophy.

If you or somebody you know faces challenges with teaching music then this video is a must watch.
Even if you’re not, this perspective on the underlying philosophy is important to hear. Especially because in our community, this isn’t often talked about or understood.

In this video you will learn:

How there is no “special” age for general music to be taught and how it can be taught from ANY age appropriately.

How to best use music notation in the classroom

How you can make music learning a beautiful experience for your children which nurtures rather than teaches encouraging good behaviour in your children right from the get-go

How you promote great questioning and a love for learning through music, even from early ages.

Now, I would love to hear from you.

What’s the single biggest insight you’re taking from this discussion? Do you have a specific deepening or growth experience you’ve realised as you’ve taught or researched about music yourself?

Remember, share as much detail as possible in your reply. Many incredible teachers come here every week for insight and inspiration and your story may help someone else spark a meaningful realisation or breakthrough.

Leave your comment below and let us know.

Please note: share your thoughts and ideas directly in the comments. Links to other posts, videos etc will be deleted because they come across as “spammy”.

PS. If you or someone you love or care about is in the midst of a challenging time with their teaching career, feel free to share this post. This might be shift in perspective they might need right now.

Wishing you well always and with much love,

Janice

]]>https://funmusicco.com/how-to-teach-music/feed/4Out of the Blue…https://funmusicco.com/out-of-the-blue/
https://funmusicco.com/out-of-the-blue/#commentsSun, 25 Jun 2017 19:52:06 +0000https://funmusicco.com/?p=13505Read more...]]>This week’s video is very different- I was on a bike ride and got to a windy cliff overlooking the sea … and some insights about my week suddenly came to me. Here’s what it looked like (along with some unexpected insights into life and teaching that I had this week after I took some time to reflect)….

As a result of this reflection we made a change to our final session of our GarageBand training this week.

In our seminar we talked a lot about the speed of change in this area, and there has been some major developments which have impacted what we’re doing, and so we’ve had to make a decision to change our approach to the last webinar on GarageBand for Mac.

You see, Apple announced an update to GarageBand for Mac on June 5th – coincidentally the day before our first training session, and they began rolling out downloads of this new version in the following week.

This new version is pretty much the same ‘under the hood’ – it does all the same things, so our content is still perfectly fine, but it does LOOK quite different. Apple have made a major cosmetic change, similar to what they did with the iPhone operating system a while ago.

So therefore our first ten lessons which we created for GarageBand for Mac are now out of date already! The videos we created were with the previous version, so therefore there could be some confusion if students are using the older version. We do know however that schools are often slow to update things, so for that reason the older version videos will be needed for quite some time.

We also know that its important that we provide an update to the new version for people who have it as soon as possible, because you can’t start with the old videos if your students are using new versions of the software.

So we’ve decided to do two things:

1. We have recreated the videos with the new version software, so that if you are teaching with it you’ll have the tutorials you need that will look the same as the software, plus we are leaving the old version available as well.

2. We’re going to add a new updated online training in three months time, when things settle down a bit and when we know how many people are on the new version vs the old version.

So now, anyone who has purchased a ticket to this training has now got the best of both worlds! They have the choice of both versions of the videos that match the software so that their students are using relevant tutorials and then in three months time, they will have brand new content using the most current version of the software.

Participants in our training also get a chance to provide feedback – before the final ten lessons are created. That way we can make sure that the pacing and the difficulty level is suited to as many people as possible. We’ll send a survey in August out to all registered participants and then we’ll create the final ten lessons based on your feedback.

If you’re not yet registered – it’s not too late! You can still get full access to the replay sessions of this training, and that will also entitle you to attend our final update seminar on September 26th, 2017.Click here to learn more about it

]]>https://funmusicco.com/out-of-the-blue/feed/4It’s about the rules we make…only to break!https://funmusicco.com/the-rules-we-make/
https://funmusicco.com/the-rules-we-make/#commentsMon, 05 Jun 2017 00:54:15 +0000https://funmusicco.com/?p=13491Read more...]]>Have you ever had times where things just don’t feel like they’re ever coming together and yet had other times where it’s all been so easy?

I was reflecting on it this morning on my run and I realized that there have been two major milestones which have felt well, easier, and in the past they haven’t always been.

That’s why I’ve taken today’s very impromptu video.

In this episode you’ll find a key element to setting yourself and helping others to set up for success everyday.

I realized why it had changed so suddenly – why these things in the past that sometimes seemed so daunting and hard have suddenly become so much easier and some key factors that help change the hard into the easy- so I wanted to share it with you first hand:

The bottom line here is we all need rules … we all have them. What I’ve realized is that sometimes these rules we make for ourselves whether they’re in the conscience or the sub-conscience shape who we are and what we do. So if we make our rules too hard, we’ll be less likely to want to do it.

The reason why I now love running is because I have simple rules that I can feel good about and I’m looking forward to incorporating some simple rules into our training sessions this week too. But I realize this is the first step … That first step of self-awareness, because there have been times where I’ve made my own rules all too complicated – without even knowing it!

That’s why today’s message is so simple. The bottom line is be aware of what your rules are, but be prepared to break them too! When they’re getting to hard, too vague or too many, they’re much harder to fulfill and it might be time to change … and you are in control of that

So, now I’d love to hear from you. Have you ever been aware of the rules you’re making before? Choose one or all of the questions to answer in the comments below:

What are some of the things you do to set yourself up for success in your daily life. What are some of the key rules you have for having a successful day in the music classroom?

What are some key questions you can ask of yourself to find out what your rules are?

What are some of the rules you’ve had in the past which have made things difficult for yourself and others?

Remember share as much detail as possible in your reply. Thousands of like minded teachers like yourself come here for new insight and inspiration and your story might help someone else have a meaningful breakthrough.

Also, If you have a friends, students or collegues who are struggling with finding happiness and fulfillment in their daily life, please feel free share this post with them.

Kind Regards,

Janice

P.S. Click here to register now to participate in our Composition with GarageBand training program.

]]>https://funmusicco.com/the-rules-we-make/feed/2What to do when you are not feeling valued as a music teacher, even if you are effective.https://funmusicco.com/what-to-do-when-you-are-not-feeling-valued-as-a-music-teacher-even-if-you-are-effective/
https://funmusicco.com/what-to-do-when-you-are-not-feeling-valued-as-a-music-teacher-even-if-you-are-effective/#commentsWed, 08 Feb 2017 10:11:02 +0000https://funmusicco.com/?p=11992Read more...]]>In today’s episode we’re tackling an important topic: How to create lasting fulfillment, no matter what in music teaching.

Because music teaching can be a mixed bag, right? Our emotions can range from utter exhilaration to total exhaustion, sometimes in minutes which can ultimately lead to sadness about what we do as teachers.

Sometimes it only takes one student to tell us that music isn’t important to them to completely throw ourselves off track and the effects of a few can be devastating to a career.

So, in today’s episode of music teachers Q&A, we’re covering some initial thoughts and steps to form a framework and mindset to create lasting fulfilment and meaning in life as a music teacher or working within education.

This is a summary of some of the thoughts I share based on my own personal learning and coaching I’ve received from some amazing mentors.

This is what you’ll learn in this video:

Convincing students that music is “good for them” is like telling them to eat their vegetables….

Instead of trying to convince others, work on convincing yourself first because If your inner self is strong, you’ll radiate your thoughts and you’ll role model it rather than speak it.

Learn to come up up with reasons that move you to do why you do what you do and saying them to yourself internally results in the care you show to your students.

Remember you’re in control of what you focus on – it’s a personal choice to choose to focus on one negative or the many positives that happen to you everyday.

Creating more empowering meanings for ourselves result in less stress, more gratitude and more fulfilment and we are in control.

Once you’ve had a chance to watch, I’d love to hear from you. In the comments below, tell me:

What are the biggest challenges you face as a music teacher right now?

What are your hopes and dreams for now and your future as a music teacher?

What part of this conversation was the most impactful for you?

Feel free to share as much detail as you wish in your reply because ironically, being a music teacher in a busy school can often feel isolating and this is a place we can really understand together. Your story could provide a very powerful shift and new perspective for someone else in a similar situation and can ultimately help us all to keep more fulfilled in work and in life. If you don’t feel comfortable posting publicly here then you can email me personally at any time.

Thank you so much for taking your personal time to read, watch and share this content. The time you spend here is something I never take for granted and I will always appreciate you for talking honestly and with the passion you put into your career.

]]>https://funmusicco.com/what-to-do-when-you-are-not-feeling-valued-as-a-music-teacher-even-if-you-are-effective/feed/22Success In Music: Is It All Down To Mindset?https://funmusicco.com/success-in-music-is-it-all-down-to-mindset/
https://funmusicco.com/success-in-music-is-it-all-down-to-mindset/#commentsWed, 23 Nov 2016 11:41:27 +0000https://funmusicco.com/?p=6485Read more...]]>
During my early teaching career, there was one extracurricular activity that I never missed and that was our annual State Music Camp. I loved it! It was a buzz for me to attend as a teacher for many years, the kids were stoked to be there, some great conductors gave their time and energy freely and the kids worked hard while having lots of fun along the way. We all learned such a lot together!

I remember looking around on the first couple of days over the years and noticing the children attending. Some of these children had travelled 15 hours from the outback just to be there, others had travelled five minutes down the road. There was a diverse range of backgrounds sitting in one room all with very different life experiences. Yet there never seemed to be any of those “child musical prodigies” or seemingly “naturally talented” children out of all of the hundreds sitting there.

I remember thinking to myself “Where are they?”.

In music, we come across these students all the time. You probably know the ones I mean.They’re the ones who find everything so darn easy – ask them to play a tricky note, piece and passage and they do it without any effort at all….sometimes even with a bit of attitude of how easy it is..I used to ask myself “wouldn’t a child who finds it easy and is naturally great at it, be happy to come to such an event?”

But…they never seemed to be there at this music camp….during the school holidays….in the middle of winter.

I remember thinking to myself….are they too busy to be here? Are they too “good” for it?

I wonder if there are any other teachers out there who feel like I did? How many teachers find that their more “naturally talented” students just didn’t bother turning up one day, even when they had the chance to do something really special, they never put themselves in a position of trying something new and eventually (dare I say it) …drop out!

After years of suspecting that students who are seen as the more “naturally talented” early on are at more risk of not succeeding, not just with music, but also in life; a recent (January 1st, 2015) article published in the Scientific American confirms this to be true and gives some researched, insightful tips to help parents and teachers .

The author of the article, Carol S Dweck, who is the Lewis and Virginia Eaton Professor of Psychology at Stanford University and author of Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, recently (January 1, 2015) wrote an article called “The Secret to Raising Smart Kids”

In the article, she writes;
“Our society worships talent, and many people assume that possessing superior intelligence or ability—along with confidence in that ability—is a recipe for success. In fact, however, more than 35 years of scientific investigation suggests that an overemphasis on intellect or talent leaves people vulnerable to failure, fearful of challenges and unwilling to remedy their shortcomings.”

Two Types Of Mind Set
Carol and her team have done studies in this area since the 1960’s and they validated that people can have one of two types on mindset:

The first being a “fixed” mindset . This is where people believe that they are born with a certain amount of intelligence and that won’t change throughout their life. They found that often a person who thought they had talent or intelligence did not need to work hard to do well and that they thought that having to work hard at something was a sign of low-ability.

The other type is a “growth” mindset. These people believe that the more you work at something, the better you become at it. Often people with a growth mind-set who have a setback in their test or study results, find new ways or strategies to master the materials.

In the article Dr Dweck states;
“Our studies show that teaching people to have a “growth mindset,” which encourages a focus on “process” (consisting of personal effort and effective strategies) rather than on intelligence or talent, helps make them into high achievers in school and in life.”

How to Encourage Growth Mind-Set
In a “nutshell”, the advice Dr Dweck gives in her article is don’t tell your kids they’re smart! Parents and teachers need to focus on the process of learning rather than the intelligence or ability of each child.

Some other practical advice she suggests is:

Tell your students about achievements that resulted from hard work. Tell stories of great mathematicians,musicians and scientists who fell in love with their subject and developed amazing skills.

Be careful how you encourage your students. Statements like “Wow-That’s a really good score. You must have worked really hard on that” encourages a growth mind-set rather than “Wow -that’s a really good score. You must be smart at this” which encourages fixed-mindset.

Educate your students on what mind-set is and how this can help them with their study habits. Read articles such as “You can grow your Brain” together as a class or study interactive computer modules such as Brainology to help raise awareness and understanding with your students.

Your Thoughts
But now I want to hear from you. With this information in mind, what are some of the ways you encourage growth mindset in your music classes? Please go ahead and fill in the comments box below to share your ideas and experiences together with the wider music teaching community.

Mum, whose real name is Audrey Marceux has posted a video on YouTube which has been dubbed “The cutest video ever of a mum and daughter singing Frozen” with this little lip-sync music clip of her and her daughter singing “Love is an Open Door” in the car. You’ve just got to check it out, it’s so adorable:

When she uploaded the video to her own Facebook page (August 2014), Aubrey commented that she had been seeing a lot if negative things on Facebook that day, so she thought this would lighten it up!
And it did….
She posted it expecting a few of her family and friends to see and comment on it, but then it went viral(it’s been watched by 7 million people YouTube alone) – and the rest (as they say) is history!

When chatting on Ellen Lee DeGeneres talk show, Teigan’s mum explained she’s got the boy part, while her 5 year old counterpart takes the girl part and if mum tries to be the girl, she gets yelled at.

Anyway- it’s a must watch for any music lover and it’s a nice one to show classes for a bit of fun! Even though this cute mum and daughter aren’t singing for real, it’s still it’s another reminder of the power of music and the happiness and joy that music can bring in lots of different ways.

]]>https://funmusicco.com/adorable-mother-and-daughter-singing-in-the-car-lip-sync-style/feed/2Is this the coolest thing ever done by a high school teacher?https://funmusicco.com/is-this-the-coolest-thing-ever-done-by-a-high-school-teacher/
https://funmusicco.com/is-this-the-coolest-thing-ever-done-by-a-high-school-teacher/#respondTue, 10 Feb 2015 13:32:39 +0000https://funmusicco.com/?p=6354Read more...]]>

Ever wonder how to get your school noticed worldwide and become the coolest high school teacher ever overnight?

Recently (January 2015) theatre teacher, Scot Pankey and his 200 students did just that – not with some fancy computer school program or high maths or english test scores, but with one single music clip where he and his students danced in the halls to Uptown Funk by Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars.

Since his youtube video was posted, it became an overnight viral sensation with over tenmillion views to date. Even Bruno Mars himself recognised it on both on Twitter and on Facebook;

When interviewed on major morning news channels, Mr Pankey commented:

“I Never thought it would be this big- it’s been an amazing ride”

Pankey told the Dallas Morning News “I heard the song before Christmas and fell in love with it,” “We are a project-based school … You give the students a project, put them in teams, and they have to come up with solutions. They had three weeks to work on it, then present as a group what they learned.” Each class was dressed in a different coloured top and they choreographed their own segment.

It turns out it was all done by him and the students. Pankey explained that three students filmed it altogether. One held the camera and two others were pulling him on a library cart. When they got to stairs, the student holding got off the cart and walked backwards (which may explain the slightly shaky video) , hopped back on the cart and the rest is- history!

So he must be a skilled dance teacher…right?

Wrong!! Yes he is a very skilled teacher, but not in dance- infact the school is a technology focused school where all the kids are into computers and programming. As Pankey explained in an Australian morning television show:

“Dancing has totally taken (the students) out out of their comfort zone. When they got back to school I said okay guys just brace yourselves- this is going to be a challenge! I’ve never done a project like this before, but if you’ll just trust me, there’s going to be trial and errors, hits and misses, but I’ll promise you this – we’re going to have a great time!”

Mr Pankey continued:

“My students were phenomenal !They said “We’re going to trust you Mr Pankey – we’re going to do it” – and they just rocked!”

Mr Pankey explained the impact on the whole school was enormous. He said the day when Bruno Mars tweeted about it and then posted a comment about it on facebook was like the whole school was floating!

However, it’s also nice to see he’s humble and a realist too. When he was asked about what’s going to be next and how is he going to “top” this, he said:

” I told my students that this event is really a once in a lifetime thing.”

Here are just a few of the many great comments listed in youtube from various teachers and students from around the world posted below his video :

“This is fantastic! I wish my high school did stuff like this!! ”– Nick Johnson

“COOLEST THING EVER DONE BY A TEACHER!!!!!!!” – Roma Bhatia

“We need more of this in our schools. Make coming to class fun again. There’s nothing like learning in a fun way. Education rocks!!!! & they did it all in one shot. Awesome….” – Breon Holland

“This video is better than Bruno Mars’ own version. Sorry… but I just have to say that. This is such an awesome video. Great job, teacher and students!”- Andrea D

The Bigger Picture.

To me this video captures what the arts do for any school or community. Out of all the subject opportunities and and special teachers that this school obviously has or does, it wasn’t the technology or the high science,english or the maths scores that got it noticed- even though it’s a tech school. All those skills are obviously there, but it was communicated through the arts. This video I feel serves as powerful advocacy for any arts program in any school… this technology school was noticed on a worldwide level via the arts.

I thought this quote put this idea together nicely:

“If you really want to communicate with someone you don’t use science. Science is an organization of curiosity and ideas—and you have to talk about how you organize it, about the scientific method, you have to understand fundamentals because while it can be artistic, you can’t build a Blackberry device artistically—but art is a fundamental way to express the wonder of being human. If you really want to communicate with someone, it’s best not to show a graph, but to express something artistically.”- Col. Chris Hadfield, Canadian Astronaut.

( PS: I choose this quote because this is the astronaut who became famous worldwide , not just because of scientific developments and experiences on the International Space Station. Instead, he communicated pictures to the world when he was up there, used social media to share and sang the first ever Music Video Clip in space called “A Space Oddity” which got him millions of youtube views. It was the ability to communicate via the arts that got him and the project noticed)

Just the Beginning….
I realise this is just my perspective and it’s only the beginning of the whole “Importance of Arts in Schools” conversation. Now I’d love you to continue the discussion using the comments below. Tell us your perspective on the “Importance of the Arts in Schools”. Do you think this guy is the coolest high school teacher ever? Tell us the coolest thing you’ve ever seen or done as a teacher- the whole teaching community would love to learn from and see what you share and every perspective is valid!

]]>https://funmusicco.com/is-this-the-coolest-thing-ever-done-by-a-high-school-teacher/feed/0iPads in the Music Classroom – Music Teachers' Q and Ahttps://funmusicco.com/ipads-in-the-music-classroom-music-teachers-q-and-a/
https://funmusicco.com/ipads-in-the-music-classroom-music-teachers-q-and-a/#commentsThu, 05 Feb 2015 04:25:07 +0000https://funmusicco.com/?p=6323Read more...]]>Welcome back to Music Teachers’ Q and A for 2015 – Where Music teachers connect and share ideas and strategies to improve their teaching career.

Today’s topic is a common one in schools all around the world – technology!

The question comes from Lillian in Melbourne, Australia, and she writes:

“I would like to know how to incorporate iPads into more of my music classes, because students from yr.4 to 6 all have them”

Here are our thoughts on video – however this is just the start of our discussion:

Of course what is really valuable about this resource is the comments section below… so if you’re one of the first to read this article and watch this video, then please contribute your suggestions in the comments box below. Every idea is welcome and valid!

]]>https://funmusicco.com/ipads-in-the-music-classroom-music-teachers-q-and-a/feed/26Music Fun at The Gas Pump!https://funmusicco.com/6068/
https://funmusicco.com/6068/#commentsMon, 08 Dec 2014 03:17:43 +0000https://funmusicco.com/?p=6068Read more...]]>Now, I know this video is probably staged, but it’s just good fun and I thought it could be a great one to show your music classes as an incentive to get them to their lessons on time!

A couple come up to the gas pump to fill up and find themselves singing karaoke of the Bon Jovi hit “Livin’ on a Prayer”on a US based talk show with host Jay Leno. Of course it turns out that this couple sing well, infact very well- and both of them end up singing a duet version of “sweet Dreams” by the Eurythmics later in the segment which makes it great entertainment and a great laugh!

Anyway this is just one crazy idea to keep your students getting to their music classes on time, but I know this is just a start. So now I’d love to hear from you. Just fill in the comments section below and share your thoughts on Your single best tip for getting your students to their lessons on time?
Over the years, I’ve come to know just one simple fun idea can often become one huge “spark” for others, so I can’t wait to discuss your best ideas using the comments section below.

]]>https://funmusicco.com/6068/feed/1Trombonist sneezes and makes over 1 million You Tube Viewshttps://funmusicco.com/trombonist-sneezes-and-makes-over-1-million-you-tube-views/
https://funmusicco.com/trombonist-sneezes-and-makes-over-1-million-you-tube-views/#respondMon, 08 Dec 2014 03:05:43 +0000https://funmusicco.com/?p=6051Read more...]]>A little while ago, this small London Based Salvation Army Brass Band got seen with well over 1 million views on YouTube and recently their story has been picked up by big media.

Want to know how they did it?

It’s simple……Someone sneezed into a trombone while trying to play it in a performance!

As the London Symphony Orchestra commented on the video :
“We’ve all been there haven’t we? It’s a quiet passage and you really really need to sneeze. What do you do, do you try to ignore and keep playing or do you disrupt the music to stop and sneeze? This is what happens when you don’t quite make it…”

So here it is: the sneeze that got the London Central Fellowship Band of the Salvation Army..seen!

What do you think? Is this a classic or what!
As one of our facebook friends commented when we first posted it :
“ I don’t know about you, but I was laughing before it even happened. What is it that makes it just so darn funny!?”

So why is this so funny? Is it just because it’s all so serious and then the sound comes out? Or is it because anyone who plays any instrument can just relate to it.

Anyway please go ahead and leave your comments in the box below and feel free to share your funniest ever music video ideas with the whole community of music teachers.